Pakistanis hate being referred to as a “nation of terrorists.” So when United States President Donald Trump called out Pakistan during his August 21 speech on the new Afghan war strategy for giving “safe haven to agents of chaos, violence and terror,” Pakistan decided to cancel its latest meetings with U.S. officials.

Instead, Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif would tour China, Russia and Turkey to discuss the American policy for Afghanistan.

The fate of Pakistan is no mere academic discussion: Pakistan is a nuclear power and, for that reason alone, a major power.

Here’s the background. America has relied extensively on Pakistan’s help during its long and draining struggle in Afghanistan, allowing supplies to be transported through the country. In turn, America supplies Pakistan with millions of dollars’ worth of military aid. At the same time, U.S. intelligence agencies and think tanks believe Pakistan is a safe haven for the Taliban and other terrorist groups. Of course, Pakistan denies these claims.

So the American government is faced with a hard choice: Call Pakistan out for harboring terrorists and infuriate the Pakistani government; or ignore it as an unchangeable reality and continue using Pakistan as a launching pad for the War in Afghanistan.

The other “great powers” are also in play. China has pumped millions into Pakistan’s economy over the past years. Deemed “all-weather friends,” the two cooperate with economics and security while shying away from addressing the sensitive areas of terrorism or human rights abuse. “The broad Chinese view of Pakistan is that of a favorite younger brother constantly landing in trouble,” writes Akbar Ahmed, author of Jinnah, Pakistan and Islamic Identity. “The Chinese will express their protective affection for Pakistan and in the next breath talk of the need to ensure its stability and encourage its prosperity.”

The Karakoram Highway is the 810-mile road the Chinese built to connect the two countries. Built through the Karakoram mountain range, it’s one of the highest roads in the world. Sometimes it’s called the “Eighth Wonder of the World,” and sometimes it’s called the “China-Pakistan Friendship Highway.” Either way, to the Pakistanis who benefit from the trade, tourism and even disaster relief, it’s a symbol of Chinese goodwill. And, unlike the Americans, the Chinese aren’t worried about moralizing.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told reporters in Washington, D.C., that there was an “erosion of trust” between the two nations. “Pakistan must adopt a different approach” against terrorist organizations, he said. “We are going to be conditioning our support for Pakistan and our relationship with them on them delivering results in this area.”

Meanwhile, China is investing $54 billion into its new One Belt, One Road building project in Pakistan. No questions are asked. It’s all part of China’s new Silk Road trade strategy—and it will benefit the Chinese as much as the Pakistanis.

Combine all this and you have the start of the “China-Russia-Pakistan axis,” as a Pakistani-based journalist for the Diplomat called it.

This is not to say Pakistan has broken ties with the United States. The two countries will still try to work through their issues, and America still supplies Pakistan with aid far outweighing any other nation’s contribution. The Trumpet’s interest in this development is the rise of China and the restructuring of the smaller Asian nation’s alliances around its power base.

That’s because of what the Bible prophesies about the “kings of the east.” As we document in our booklet on Herbert W. Armstrong’s prophecies, He Was Right, Mr. Armstrong “forecast that after the ussr collapsed, a giant Asian superpower, with Russia and China at the helm, would rise up and dramatically affect the course of history.”

At the same time, these events portray the flip side of China’s rise: the collapse of American hegemony. That was perhaps Mr. Armstrong’s most frequently mentioned prophecy; that the once-blessed United States of America would lose its dominant empire.

Pakistan may or may not be a part of the “kings of the east” alliance when the time comes. But it serves to demonstrate the changing nature of the world—one which the Bible describes as the “times of the Gentiles.”

For more on what the Bible says will happen to the Asian nations and who will definitely be part of the “kings of the east,” see our booklet Russia and China in Prophecy.